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#weCUkennedy

A focus on CU President Mark Kennedy's career in academia.

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February 26, 2019

Kennedy supports those that oppose discrimination protections
Kennedy supported the appointment of Law Dean Michael McGinniss. McGinniss opposed an American Bar Association rule that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, in a 2019 publication.

January 21, 2019

MLK Day message on racial understanding
Kennedy minimizes the lived experiences of racism in the US by trying to both celebrate and minimize "differences" simultaneously. He talked about having "the only full fledged afro," in high school "perhaps in the whole region." The entire speech demonstrates a severe lack of self-awareness, bookended with calls for unity without any recognition of white privilege in the midwest.

March 7, 2018

UCF Presidential Search and Open Forum
As a finalist for the University of Central Florida position, Kennedy presented a slide that references sexual orientation as "sexual preference." He refused to affirmatively say that he supports DACA students when asked directly. He was rejected by the Board of Trustees as bringing an unneccessary level of risk to the university due to his Congressional record.

September 11, 2017

Public letter calling on Kennedy to sign Pomona letter
UND student leaders wrote an open letter urging Kennedy to sign the Pomona letter in support of DACA students. To date, Kennedy has not signed this letter.

Fall 2016

Blackface goes unpunished at UND
A series of photos were posted to social media by UND students in blackface. Kennedy refuses to punish the students or find that they violated the UND Code of Student Life.

July 2016- July 2019

President at University of North Dakota
By the end of his time as president, enrollment at UND had declined by 10.5%. Some measures taken to offset declines in revenue included doubling student parking ticket prices and metering other parking.

June 3, 2013

Allegedly created hostile work environment
Kennedy created a "hostile work environment" and discriminated against employees based on sexual orientation while directing George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management.

January 2012- June 2016

Director and Professor at Graduate School of Political Management at GWU
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